"This Tender Land" by William Kent Krueger stayed with my heart and mind for several months, pondering his story of four orphan runaways during the Depression. Their lives upended, they teamed up to pursue their dream of being free from the tyranny of the headmistress. In the same way Kent grabbed me with this story of a minister's family, told by the middle child, Frank.
It was 1961 in a small Minnesota town, when the body of a young boy was found after being run over by a train. What follows is the subsequent deaths of four other people that summer and the pain and wounding of a community and of Frank's family. Frank is curious, adventuresome, courageous and prone to lie easily. His brother Jake is quiet, perceptive and serves as Frank's conscience. Their father is a man of faith, never doubting God's goodness and "awful grace"; always choosing to embrace people rather than to accuse. Not a perfect pastor's family, but perfectly imperfect. Once again, this story will stay with me because the characters embody faults, weaknesses and sin...but they are quick to show kindness, grace and love in action. A good read.
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